Influenced by factors ranging from health and economics to ethics and religion, millions of people around the world are turning
to a vegetarian diet. In America alone, ten million people now consider themselves vegetarian.

The Higher Taste clearly explains the many reasons why people stop eating meat. But beyond that it contains over sixty
gourmet vegetarian recipes that are guaranteed to carry you beyond the pleasures of ordinary food into new realm of
Epicurean delight. If you ever thought that being a vegetarian means eating only limp steamed vegetables and cold salads -
you're in for a big surprise. In The Higher Taste you'll learn how to prepare complete, nourishing, taste-tempting meals. How
about an evening in Italy, with savory minestrone soup, a hearty spaghetti main course complete with veggie-balls in tomato
sauce, breaded zucchini sticks, hot ricotta-stuffed calzone, and a Neapolitan cheesecake for dessert? The Higher Taste will
show you how. You'll also find equally delicious Chinese, Indian, French, Mexican, and Middle Eastern dinners. And best of
all, these tested recipes have all been chosen for their simplicity, quickness, and ease of preparation.

Just as important as the ingredients we use in cooking is our consciousness. The Higher Taste shows how anyone can turn a
daily chore into a blissful , enlightening experience. Preparing Karma-free vegetarian food is an integral part of the topmost
system of yoga and meditation Described in the timeless teachings of India's Vedic literature. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna
says, "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it." One who prepares pure,
natural vegetarian food and then offers it to the Supreme will automatically feel an awakening of sublime spiritual pleasure in
the heart.

The Supreme Lord is described in the Vedas as the reservoir of all pleasure, and to increase His pleasure He expands Himself
by His pleasure energy into uncounted millions of living beings who are all meant to share in His enjoyment. We are all part of
that eternal pleasure potency, and by the simple act of preparing food for the pleasure of God we can experience
transcendental enjoyment. You'll notice that as soon as you taste the food you've offered. As George Harrison said in a recent
interview, " When you know someone has begrudgingly cooked something, it doesn't taste as nice as when someone has done
it to try and please God, to offer it to Him first. Just that in itself makes all the food taste so much nicer." That's what we mean
by "a higher taste."

Along with trying the recipes, be sure to have a look at the opening chapters of The Higher Taste. They explain the whole
philosophy behind spiritual vegetarianism, and reading them will help you prepare food in the best possible state of mind.

Chapter One reveals how modern medical research has shown links between meat-eating and killer diseases such as cancer
and heart disease. Chapter Two exposes the myth of a worldwide food scarcity and explains the economic advantages of a
vegetarian diet for society and the individual. In Chapter Three, the ethical foundations of vegetarianism are set forth , focusing
on the writings of some of the world's greatest philosophers, authors, and religious leaders, among them Pythagoras, Plato,
Leonardo da Vinci, Rousseau, Franklin, Shelley, Tolstoy, Thoreau, Gandhi, and others. The principle of nonviolence , as
found in the teachings of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, is also examined. An analysis of how the laws of
karma and reincarnation are related to vegetarianism forms the basis of Chapter Four. Chapter Five explains in detail the
rationale and procedures for offering vegetarian food to the Supreme Lord as part of the Bhakti-yoga system. In Chapter Six,
excerpts from the writings of Srila Prabhupada, India's greatest authority on Vedic culture, provide a concise, highly readable
summary of the philosophy underlying the spiritual vegetarian diet outlined in The Higher Taste.